Vessels such as surface ships face a tangible threat of attack from anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs). ASCMs are designed to fly at low altitudes and may reach air velocities of 0.8 Mach to over 2.0 Mach. In addition, ASCMs may employ countermeasures including radical maneuvers in order to confuse and elude conventional defense systems.
Conventional defense systems include active (or hard kill) defense systems, and passive (or soft kill) defense systems. Hard kill techniques employ a counter weapon, such as an anti-missile missile, or radar guided guns. Hard kill systems are expensive and require detection, analysis and interception of the incoming ASCM through sensors and guidance systems, all of which add to the overall cost of the system. The weapons used in hard kill systems often have greater value than the targets they are intended to destroy. Soft kill techniques include systems for jamming or confusing the flight control systems of the incoming ASCM and attempt to fool the ASCM into striking a dummy target, which the ASCM mistakes for its intended target. However, the immediate effectiveness of a deployed soft kill countermeasure cannot always be determined in a timely manner. While both hard kill and soft kill systems enjoy some degree of success, an alternative defense system against incoming threats posed by ASCMs that addresses the disadvantages of conventional hard and soft kill countermeasures is desired.